Large solar project planned for Town of Spring Brook
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
TOWN OF SPRING BROOK — A large solar project that would cover 1,700 acres is in the planning stages for the Town of Spring Brook.
The Elk Creek Solar Project is being planned by Tyr Energy Development Renewables, and representatives for the company are expected to make a presentation at the Dunn County Board’s September 21 meeting, said Kristin Korpela, county manager, at the Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee’s September 13 meeting.
The project would cover 1,700 acres and would have a life cycle of 35 years of operation, she said.
Dunn County does not have any permitting approvals for the project, said Anne Wodarczyk, Dunn County zoning administrator.
Instead of going through Dunn County for the approval process, the developer will apply to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for a certificate of public convenience and necessity, she said.
When the townships were developing their Smart Growth Comprehensive Land Use Plans and residents were being surveyed about what they wanted in the future, residents said they wanted clean water, to preserve the rural character and to preserve prime farmland, said Gary Bjork, county board supervisor from Colfax and a member of the PR&D committee.
A solar project covering 1,700 acres “takes out two of those,” he said, referring to rural character and the preservation of prime farmland.
Would Dunn County be able to send a letter to the PSC about the solar project, either for or against? Bjork asked.
The question is — how to have a thoughtful discussion about the solar project proposal, said Tom Quinn, county board supervisor from Downing and chair of the PR&D committee.
Do we know anything about the site, the location or the authority of the state to regulate the solar project? he asked.
That is why company representatives are coming to the Dunn County Board meeting, to provide more information, Wodarczyk said.
Korpela said she had talked with the developers.
At the Dunn County Board meeting, it will become clear about the landowners, because they are planning to attend, she said.
The project will involve two property owners, one large and one small. The smaller property will provide access to the project, Korpela said.
Tyr Energy Development Renewables is about two months out from submitting the application to the PSC, and the process for the application takes about 15 months, she said.
Public comments
The PSC has a process for taking public comments, Quinn said.
And the PSC has a process for assessing environmental impact. All of the information related to the application is available to public access and is public record, Korpela said.
Although neither Quinn nor Korpela elaborated on it, any member of the public can access an application to the PSC on the PSC’s website and can access all of the documents filed in association with a particular application.
Dunn County should engage in the process and review the application, Quinn said.
$700,000 annually
Once the solar project is approved and is under development, the property comes off the property tax roll, Korpela said.
Tyr Energy Development Renewables has submitted a joint development agreement to Nick Lange, Dunn County corporation counsel, she said.
The proposed development agreement includes a payment in lieu of taxes, or at least a payment, of up to $700,000 per year to Dunn County, Korpela said.
In addition, the Town of Spring Brook would receive $500,000, and the local school district also would receive an annual payment, she said.
The development agreement includes reclamation plans after the 35 year project has ended, although reclamation would be a matter of removing the panels and pulling out the posts, and then the land would be back to what it was, Korpela said.
Roads are also included in the development agreement, she noted.
Minimal maintenance
While the project would create construction jobs, after it is built, there would be minimal maintenance, and the company is not planning to have a full-time person on site, Korpela said.
The solar project will sell electricity back to the utilities and will generate enough power for 60,000 households, she said.
The PSC has information on the PSC website about the application process for a certificate of public convenience and necessity that is quite informative, Wodarczyk said.
When the county is having budget problems, “it’s hard to turn down money,” Bjork said, adding that it is difficult to comprehend how much money a solar project would generate if the company is planning to give away over $1 million per year.
The solar project is economic development, but it is development that leaves the county with no way to levy property taxes, Quinn said.
On the other hand, the solar project will help the environment, he said.
Solar is the least costly energy source right now, Korpela said.
The Elk Creek Solar Project’s Facebook page cites a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that states approximately 22,000 square miles of solar arrays, which would be the size of Lake Michigan, would be needed to power the entire United States.
